Latest news with #RobBryher
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Bristol City Council discusses new resident parking zones plans
Plans are being considered to create more resident parking zones (RPZ) to combat traffic and parking issues in Bristol City Council introduced them, the zones in Bishopston, St Andrews, St Werburghs, Ashley Down, Totterdown, Windmill Hill and Bedminster, would become areas where only residents with a permit would be allowed to a meeting on Thursday, representatives raised concerns around costs and the size of the proposed and current zones while some said people were "chomping at the bit" for parking chair Ed Plowden said the council would "probably not" be able to put forward a scheme that all councillors wanted, but would look at recommendations. Green councillor for St George West Rob Bryher, suggested the council should, in the meantime, consider proximity to the city centre and existing schemes."[We should also consider] whether you can actually park a vehicle in the area if you're a resident," he said."There are some communities that are chomping at the bit to get this kind of parking management implemented and it's been a long time they've waiting."[So], I do think it's good to have some clear timelines for when it's coming back to the committee." Labour councillor for Southmead Kaz Self said her main concern was finding an RPZ fee that would suit people on a low income."There are people in Southmead ward who are not going to have the same level of income as someone in Clifton so, there's an issue about how much an RPZ rate would be," she funding has not been formally allocated the council has proposed to use income generated from the Clean Air Zone scheme to fund any new RPZ of city transport Adam Crowther said the committee will take everything into consideration."We will look at how much it would cost and how many resources would be needed to bring a decision paper back to the committee, if possible in September, if not then it might be in October," he said.
BBC News
29-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
What changes are planned for Park Street in Bristol?
Cars could soon be restricted on Bristol's Park Street to ease congestion and improve bus city councillors have approved the scheme but it faces one final hurdle as a full business case has to be submitted to the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) for post of mayor is currently up for grabs with an election pending in a decision expected to be announced in the coming months, we take a look at how things could change. What could change? Under the plans, the street would be mostly used by buses, cyclists and will still be able to access the shopping street by using side roads but will not be able to drive from end to end.A bus gate will be installed at the top of the road, pavements will be widened and new cycle paths spaces will be removed to give cafes more room for outdoor tables. When could it happen? If approved, by whoever becomes the Weca mayor, the work could begin in City Council said it hopes to finish the project by March 2027. How much will it cost? The council has estimated the revamp would cost £15.5m. Why does the council want to make changes? In short: to reduce to council figures, 53% of people commuted by car in 2019. The council says that figure needs to drop to 43% by 2036 just to keep traffic at its current level due to population Bus, which runs services across the city, has said many of its routes which use Park Street often encounter delays due to congestion."There's been lots of literature that shows if you restrict through-traffic, then traffic just evaporates," Green councillor Rob Bryher of the council's transport policy committee, Ed Plowden, said the changes would boost the economy, partly as wider pavements could lead to greater the extra space for pedestrians has prompted some local venues to consider putting on a new arts Plowden added: "Victoria Rooms, the Royal West Academy and St George's are talking about some kind of arts festival, and they feel that the space is there that they can use now, rather than having a great big racetrack in front of the beautiful statues and architecture." Is there any opposition? Yes, some businesses on Park Street have raised concerns about potential impact on them.A group of local businesses have started a campaign opposing the changes that has so far gained 315 petition signatures - well short of the 3,500 needed to trigger a at a council meeting on 11 March, cafe owner Michael Potts claimed "most Bristolians" oppose the Potts, who owns Mrs Potts Chocolate House, said: "Evidence suggests that removing traffic from the high street will have a devastating consequence."Meanwhile, opposition Conservative councillors have branded the scheme "needlessly excessive", and warned it could have a "disastrous effect" on businesses in the shopping abstained from the vote on 20 March and Conservative and Liberal Democrat members voted against the plans.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan to ban Park Street through traffic is backed
A council transport committee has approved plans to ban cars from driving down a major city centre street. Green councillors approved the £15m scheme that will see Bristol's Park Street only used by buses, cyclists and pedestrians in a bid to ease congestion and improve bus times. "There's been lots of literature that shows if you restrict through-traffic, then traffic just evaporates," said Green councillor Rob Bryher. But Conservative group leader Mark Weston said: "Traffic flows like water. Once you start stopping it up, it then moves into random directions. We're creating a problem, we're not solving it - we're just moving it." Mr Bryher added: "People behave differently if you change the priorities of a street." Under the plans cars will still be able to access the street via side roads but will not be able to drive from end to end. The transport committee voted to approve the plans, which still face one final hurdle. The committee voted to approve the plans with Green councillors voting in favour, Labour abstaining and Conservative and Liberal Democrat members voting against. The plans face one final hurdle as a full business case has to be submitted to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) for approval. Some businesses on Park Street have raised concerns about the plan's potential impact on them. "The business community have been very clear — this scheme will damage trade for local independent businesses and potentially force them to leave" said Steve Smith, a former councillor and the Conservative mayoral candidate for WECA. A group of local businesses have started a campaign opposing the plans - but has so far only gained 315 petition signatures - well short of the 3,500 needed to trigger a debate. Meanwhile, the extra space for pedestrians has prompted some local venues to consider putting on a new arts festival. Green Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport committee, said: "Victoria Rooms, the Royal West Academy and St George's are talking about some kind of arts festival, and they feel that the space is there that they can use now, rather than having a great big racetrack in front of the beautiful statues and architecture." Park Street's bus gate roadworks to start in October Incentives to boost support for low traffic scheme Anti-liveable neighbourhood petition handed to council Bristol City Council WECA
